Amazing Chinese Characters (18) Net - 网（網）

The Shell Bone script for character Net is

a picture of net, a typical pictography character.

In the ancient time, people made fishing net to catch fish.

Its Big Seal script is

Similar to the shell bone script, a drawing of net.

Its Small Seal script is

Very similar to its big seal script.

There is another Small Seal script from the Dictionary

is no similarity to net and the characters above. Inside the character, the top XX is the net, the left part on the bottom is half character Silk, meaning that the Net is made from silk or fabric materials. The right part on the bottom is character Death, which may mean the death trap for fish.

Its Clerical script is

which is not like the picture of net too. The meaning of its left part is silk or rope, which is the material for the net,  it becomes an ideogram character.

The song typeface of the traditional character is

網

same as the clerical script.

The song typeface of the simplified character is

网

which is changed back similar to the original Shell Bone script, a pictography character. It is one of few examples that the simplified character is better to express the meaning of the object.

Its Pinyin is "Wang3".